Great Whale River

{{For|the town formerly known as Great Whale River|Kuujjuarapik}}{{Hatnote|Not to be confused with the nearby Little Whale River, or the Whale River to the northeast.}}

{{Infobox river

| name = Great Whale River

| name_native = {{plainlist|

{{native name|fr|Grande rivière de la Baleine}}
{{native name|und|Abchigamiche River|paren=omit}}

}}

| name_other =

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| image = Grande rivière de la baleine 1992 GB1 A.jpg

| image_caption = The first step of the GB1 falls of Great Whale River, Summer 1992

| map = Great Whale map.png

| map_size = 250

| map_caption = Great Whale River basin in yellow

| pushpin_map =

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| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = Canada

| subdivision_type2 = Province

| subdivision_name2 = Quebec

| subdivision_type3 = Region

| subdivision_name3 = Nunavik

| subdivision_type4 =

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| length = {{convert|724|km|mi|abbr=on}}[http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html Atlas of Canada] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404150649/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html |date=2007-04-04 }}

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| discharge1_location=

| discharge1_min =

| discharge1_avg = {{convert|680|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}

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| source1 = Lake Saint-Luson

| source1_location =

| source1_coordinates= {{coord|54|49|30|N|70|32|17|W|display=inline}}

| source1_elevation = {{convert|500|m|abbr=on}}

| mouth = Hudson Bay

| mouth_location = Kuujjuarapik / Whapmagoostui

| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|55|15|59|N|77|47|23|W|display=inline,title}}

| mouth_elevation = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}

| progression =

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| basin_size = {{convert|42700|km2|abbr=on}}

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The Great Whale River ({{Langx|fr|Grande rivière de la Baleine}}) is a river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It flows from Lac Saint-Luson through Lac Bienville west to Hudson Bay. While the lower section of the river (after Lac Bienville) has a very powerful current, with many waterfalls (up to {{convert|15|m|ft}} or {{convert|20|m|ft}} in height) and rapids, the upper section consists of a series of lakes interconnected by steep rapids and ledges.

Great Whale River also has a branch originating from Caniapiscau Reservoir. For canoeists, this is the easiest access (a bridge on the Trans-Taiga Road at Lac Montausier {{coord|54|43|53.41|N|70|11|45.24|W}}).

Both the northern village of Kuujjuarapik, whose inhabitants are mostly Inuit, and the Cree village of Whapmagoostui are situated at the mouth of the river, near the site of the former RCAF Station Great Whale River. The villages were formerly known collectively as "Great Whale River" and "Poste-de-la-Baleine."

The portion between Lake Bienville and the mouth of the Coats River has also been called Abchigamich River, but this name was dropped in 1946 by the Commission de géographie du Québec. Also, the name has often been wrongly translated into French as Rivière de la Grande Baleine (not until 1962 did the Commission de géographie du Québec officially adopt the current Grande rivière de la Baleine).

History

File:Establishing at Great Whale River Preliminary Camp 1922.jpg company, 1922]]

The Great Whale River was a place favored by the Cree and Inuit for hunting beluga long before the arrival of Europeans. Even though both were nomadic, the mouth of the river was often an encampment site and served as unofficial border.

The name of the river was recorded in 1744 in the logbooks of Hudson's Bay Company employees Thomas Mitchell and John Longland, while exploring the bay's coast. The entry for July 25 made the first mention of the "Great White Whail {{sic}} River". It may have come from the Cree Whapmagoostui, meaning River of the Whale, and referring to the hunting of white whale or beluga there.{{cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=3224&Latitude=55,26611&Longitude=-77,78472&Zoom=1700 |title=Grande rivière de la Baleine |access-date=2008-12-04 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183110/http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=3224&Latitude=55,26611&Longitude=-77,78472&Zoom=1700 |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}

In the early 1970s, the state-owned provincial power utility Hydro-Québec planned to construct three hydroelectric power stations on the Great Whale River as a part of the James Bay Project.[http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/agr/que/jbnq5_e.PDF James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, ch. 8.1.3, pp. 114-115.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010722233048/http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/agr/que/jbnq5_e.PDF |date=2001-07-22 }} Although detailed planning for the project was only begun in 1986, opposition from Crees, Inuit, environmental organizations like Greenpeace and the Friends of the Earth and other activists led the Premier of Quebec, Jacques Parizeau, to announce in November 1994, that the project was suspended indefinitely. However, the project may still be revived in the future.

List of lakes on the upper section

Lac Saint-Luson
Lac Girauday
Lac Lamberville
Lac Gournay
Lac Prieur
Lac Cognac
Lac Roman
Lac Poncy
Lac Molleville
Lac Chastenay
Lac Turreau
Lac Naudin
Lac Raguideau
Lac Bourgtalon
Lac Bouvante
Lac Novereau
Lac Decoigne
Lac Jacquemont
Lac Delaroche
Lac Sanchagrin
Lac Danneville
Lac Sablons
Lac Maravat
Lac Ducasse
Lac Laurac
Lac Chastenet
Lac Magne
Lac Maurel
Lac Louet
Lac Wasatimis
Lac Bienville
Lac Paimpoint

Gallery

Grande rivière de la baleine 1992 GB2 A.jpg

Grande rivière de la baleine 1992 GB2 B.jpg

Grande rivière de la baleine 1992.jpg

Grande rivière de la baleine crépuscule 1992 A.jpg

Grande rivière de la baleine 1992 GB3 B.jpg

Grande rivière de la baleine 1992 GB1 A.jpg

Grande rivière de la baleine 1992 GB3 C.jpg

Seuil sur la Grande rivière de la baleine.jpg

Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik-riviere-de-la-baleine.jpg

Vue de Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik.jpg

Sources

[http://expert-eyes.org/whale.html The Great Whale Project]

External links

[http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.htm The Atlas of Canada - Rivers]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
[http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/rivers/grwhal.htm General description, map and images] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205045300/http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/rivers/grwhal.htm |date=2012-02-05 }}
[http://www.thunderbird.edu/about_thunderbird/case_series/1997/_97-0020.htm Hydro-Québec and the Great Whale Project]. Environmental/development negotiations; stakeholder analysis.
{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130101002134/http://www.canoe.ca/che-mun/greatwhale.html The Great Whale River Expedition 1988]}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110706192739/http://www.ottawaoutdoors.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=99999999 The Great Whale River Expedition 1991]
[http://www.ottertooth.com/long_trips_files/great-whale-97.pdf The Great Whale River Expedition 1997]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080907184443/http://edisk.fandm.edu/william.seeley/Seeley/GreatWhale.htm The Great Whale River Expedition 1997 (images)]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080827192606/http://edisk.fandm.edu/william.seeley/Seeley/Chemun.htm Mojo Men of the Great Whale]
[https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/1100 Acculturation of the Great Whale River Cree Manuscript] at Dartmouth College Library

Category:Rivers of Nord-du-Québec

Category:Tributaries of Hudson Bay

Category:Nunavik